Clutch for bottle-screw-capping machines



Jan. 26 1926.

l n l I. RISSE'R CLUTCH FOR BOTTLE SCREW CAPPING MACHINES l Filed Feb. 1o, 1923 ill Patented dan. i926.

UNIT ElDi STAT ES ARTHUR I. RISSER, OF CHICAGO, LNS, ASSIGNR .T U. S. BOTTLERSMACHINER-Y PATENT ORFF'CE.

CLUTCH FOR BOTTLESGREW-GAEPING MACHINES.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR I. Rrssnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Clutches for Bottle- Screw-Capping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for applying screw threaded covers to receptacles, such as bottles, fruit jars, etc., one form of such machine being illustrated in a companion application, Serial Number 618,276. Particularly, the invention relates to clutch mechanismv for grasping ,the cap of' a receptacle. to be closed through a `rotary movement of the cap, the said clutch being adapted to automatically adjust itself. to take care of caps of different sizes and so mounted as to allow for obstructionsin the operation of the machinewhich might otherwise cause a breakage.

The invention consists in mechanism capable ofA attaining the foregoing objects,

which can be easily and cheaply made,

which is satisfactory in use and not readily liable to get out of order.

The invention further consists in many features and details 'of construction which will be hereinafter more fully set forth in the` specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals designate the same parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, largely in section, of mechanism illustrating this invention in its preferred form, the clutch being in the position which it assumes when it is clear of a-receptacle to be capped and is about to be manipulated to perform the capping operation'.

Figure 2` is a changed posit-ion view of the parts of Figure 1, with the cap on the receptacle just turned to closed position.

Figure 3 is a sectional detail view on the irregular line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is al side elevation of a cam mechanism for moving the clutch mechanism from the position of Figure 1 to that of Figure 2 and back again.

Figure5 is an inverted plan view of the clutch taken on the line 5-5 of'Figure 1.

Substantially all mechanisms of this application not herein claimed are more fully Application filed February 10, 1923.

Serial-No. 618,277.

shown, described and claimed in said coinf panion application, heretofore referred to.

rlhe clutch of this invention` in the spe?. ciiic form shown in the drawings includes a truncated, conical case 10, having its smaller end rigid with a base 12, there being inthe body of the cone equally spaced, in the particular case here illustrated, three elongated, parallel slots 14, open at the lower end of thecone so that in the absence of retaining ring 16, a block or jaw 18 may be inserted in the slot when assembling. These jaws are limitedV in their downward movement in the slots` by the ring 16, preferably of elasticmaterial, which rests in the annular notch 2() provided: 'forv it in` theL lower portion of the outer surface of the coney 10.

As shown, these blocks 18 extend inside the cone and are there provided with curved', notched jaws 22, adapted to suitably grip the circumference of a screw threaded cap 24:, adapted to be rotated over screw threads 26` on the outside of thekupper end of the neck-of bottleor other receptacle 28 which is tobe closed by theV operation of the mechanism of this invention.

Each block 18 above the jaw 22 is provided with a perforation 30' through which exten-ds a rod or spoke 3,2 radial tothe axis of the cone 10 and rigidly secured inside the cone by any suitable means to a hub A on a rod 36. reciprocable axially ofthe cone. Considering only the'parts thus far described, it will be seen that reciprocatio-n of the rod 36 axially of the cone 10 necessarily forces the blocks 1S to travel up or down, as the case may be, the anguiary surface of the cone 10, with the result that when they are `in the position of Figure 2, they grasp acomparatively large bottle cap 24 and that, Awhen they are up near Vthe top ofthe cone, adjacent to the base 12, they will necessarily grasp. and lit a very much smaller cap than that shown. lt will also be evident that, conversely, if the rod 36 and spokes 32be held fstationaryeither byl an operator hanging on to the rod 86 or by the blocks bearing on a stationary object asthe Cap 24 of Figure 2, and the cone then moved downward', the ram action of the cone 1() will force the blocks 18 to move inward on their respective rods 32 and thus: forcibly grip any bottle cap as 24. which may be between them.

Obviously, under these same conditions, if the cone is moved upward, the blocks 18 will be forced by the cam cone 10 to move outward on the rods 32, thus opening the clutch.

From the foregoing description of the essential elements of this present application, it is evident that if a means be provided for moving a cone clutch of this construction from the position of Figure 1 onto a cap 24 positioned as shown in Figure l, to a point where the cone itselfI forces the blocks 18 to grasp the surface of the cap, and for either simultaneously or thereafter rot-ating the conc 10.` the cap 24 will be turned from the position of Figure 1 to that of Figure 2, thereby sealing the bottle, whereupon it is only necessary to provide means for returning the cone to the position of Figure 1 to automatically release the clutch from the bottle cap and allow its free handling as the operators may desire.

The drawings show more or less diagrammatically the mechanism taken from said companion application for so manipulating the cone of this invention. This mechanism includes the mounting of rod 36 in cooperative relation with a spring 38 in a tubular chamber 40 provided for them in a vertical shaft 42. This shaft 42 has a spline connection 44 with a driving` pinion 46 which permits the shaft and consequently the clutch to reciprocate vertically, as shown in the drawings, while being rotated by the pinion. Shaft 42 is journalled in a member 48 which, for the purposes of this case may be considered stationary but which is in said companion applicationthe circumference of a wheel-rotatable in a horizontal plane.

The member 12, heretofore referred to, constitutes a flange of a sleeve 50 fastened to the lower end of shaft 42 by any suitable means such as a key 52 and carries at its open end a nut 54 held in place by any suitable means as for instance a screw 5G.

Enclosing the sleeve 50 and sufficiently' spaced from both members 12 and 54 so as to allow for oppositely disposed antifriction bearings 58, is a bracket 60 supporting said bearings and secured by any suitable means, as for instance the screws G2, to a vertical rod 64 slidable in a recess 66 provided for it in the face of member 48, heretofore referred to. Extending from rod 64 is a stud or shaft 68, carrying` a cam roller 70 in operative relation with a cam track 72, having at one point in its length a reciprocable cam section 74, urging roller 70 by any suitable means, such as spring 7G, toward the track member 72. Track members 72 and 74 are at a point illustrated in Figure 4 provided with downward curves T8 so shaped as to, as the roller 70 traverses them, force the rod G4, the bracket 50 and consequently shaft 42 and cone 10 from the position of that of Figure 1 to that of Figure 2 and back again. In said companion application, member 48 is a rotating wheel which causes roller TO to traverse stationary cam track 72; but, for the purposes of the present invention, it is only necessary that some sort of a mechanism be provided to reciprocate cone 10 between the positions of Figures 1 and 2, and that some sort of a. yielding mechanism, as spring 38 be provided for simultaneously always urging the blocks 18 toward the larger end of the cone.

In the complete operation of the mechanism, assume that the parts are in the position of Figure 1 with roller 70 on a part of track 72 to one side of that shown in Figure 4, and that the device is mounted upon a machine which will cause roller TO to travel through that part of track 72 shown in Figure 4. As the machine not shown causes roller 70 to traverse one inclined portion 7S of track T 2, the parts are moved to the position of Figure 2, this through the depression of the clutch 10 by the operation of cam track parts 78 and the simultaneous rotation of the clutch by the pinion 46 which is driven by a continuous source of power. During this movement, the spring 76 not only holds cam section 74 in such a position that it will cause clutch 10 to thus operate but it also .provides a yielding connection which will allow the device to adjust itself to take care of an y variation in the height of the par* ticular cap 24 operated upon over standard sizes and heights of caps which are to bc successively operated upon by the machine and for which it has been previously adjusted. Then the parts reach the position of Figure 2 and the roller 70 has traveled from one cam section 7S to the second cam soction 78, the whole clutch mechanism begins to move upward thereby withdrawing f rom the cap 24, and during this operation. the spring` 38 forces the rods 32 downward inside the clutch, thereby causing the blocks 18 to automatically move away from the cap 24 and leave the closed, capped recep tacle 28 entirely free of the clutch.

Having thus described my imf'ention1 what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In mechanism of the class described, a reciprocable shaft, a plurality of arms radiating therefrom, a gripping jaw slidable on each arm, means having wedgingengagement with said jaws operating upon movement of said shaft in one direction to move said jaws radially on said arms towards one another and upon moven'lent of said shaft in an opposite direction to move said jaws away from one another, and

means normally urging said shaft in a direction with respect to said means to move said jaws away from one another.

2. In mechanism of the class described, a cone having a plurality of gripping jaws reciprocable longitudinally along its inner surface and a shaft reeiprocable axially of the cone, spokes in the shaft each reciprocably carrying one of said gripping jaws, and means urging said shaft and spokes toward the larger end of the cone.

3. In mechanism of the class described, a reciprocable, rotatable cone, having a plurality of gripping jaws reciprocable longitudinally along its inner surface, a shaft reciprocablc axially of the cone, spokes on the shaft each reciprocably carrying one of said gripping jaws and means urging said shaft and spokes toward the larger end of the cone.

4. In mechanism of the class described, a

cone having a plu 'ality of gripping jaws reciprocable longitudinally along its inner surface in longitudinal slots formed in the surface of the cone, a shaft reciprocable axially of the cone, spokes in the shaft each reciproeably carrying one of said gripping jaws, and means urging said shaft and spokes toward the larger end of the cone.

5. In mechanism of the class described, a reciprocable, rotatable cone, having a plurality of gripping jaws reciprocable longitudinally along its inner surface in longitudinal slots formed in the surface of the cone, a shaft reciprocable axially of the cone, spokes on the shaft each reeiprocably carrying one of said gripping jaws and means urging said shaft and spokes toward the larger end of the cone.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ARTHUR I. RISSER. 

